I am not too sure whether or not I was the school leaver that Wheen was moaning about. I have wanted to be in the field of journalism for quite awhile now and the reason behind this has escalated just from the simple fact that ever since I was a little child the world of television has always fascinated me. As a child, it seemed magical and the thought of having a job to do with television really interested me. But as I grew up, I started to realise how fast-paced the media is, and how, in no way, is it static and this truly excited me.
I feel that the media dictates everything we do, our lifestyle which includes the clothes we wear, the way we live, the music we listen to. It even shapes and forms the opinions we have. As children, it is a definite factor in the way we think and the things we like and dislike. We form our opinions about celebrities and influential figures in society from what we see on television, newspapers and magazines and from what we hear on the radio. I do not think anyone can deny the fact the media in general has such a big influence in our life. And maybe one day, I might be part of that influence, as it is an extremely powerful tool which can be used in good and bad ways.
And, as a result of doing Politics A-Level, I became extremely interested in current affairs and felt that as I do live in this world, I should be aware of what was happening around me and if I possibly could also take a part in it as well. So from my rather attention seeking aspirations of being on television, I realised that I now wanted to be still at the forefront but all of my interests and hopes coincided together and made me realise I wanted to be a part of the constantly changing world of media and journalism and become a broadcast journalist. I want to be one of the first people to see events of the world occur, whatever they may be, so that in some way I become part of history and a part of what happens.
I always realised that doing a journalism course, or even a media course would be hard but what I did not realise, I think, is how in-depth it would be. This might be due to the fact that this is first kind of media studies I have done and so to be honest, I did not really know what to expect of it. What I do now comprehend about journalism now is that it is so multi-faceted and there is so much to grasp that maybe people who might not be doing this course or have no thorough knowledge of journalism would not know about. I personally feel that journalism is a lot more complex and difficult than people give credit to. It is not just the matter of writing a few words but, for example, it is necessary to understand the social and theoretical factors behind it. I think I feel like that because of the fact that I am now doing this course. I am not too sure what expectations I had about the course or how journalism would be portrayed in this course, so I think it would only fair to say that whatever perceptions I had of journalism, I have now forgotten.
I do not really think there is a type of journalism or journalist that I do not respect the least, after all, every journalist is just doing their job and fulfilling the requirements that have been assigned to them but then again I am biased. Nevertheless I must admit that I mostly respect the journalists that willingly and knowingly walk into danger to find or report a story. It shows a great deal of courage and bravery, above all knowing that they might die just because they are telling the truth in a place where this is not allowed. However, when all's said and done, the one quality that I respect the most in any journalist is honesty and the motivation to be frank and open about any subject or topic, no matter what it may be. As a country that has a great deal of freedom, we take this for granted but worldwide this is not the same, and for a journalist to tell the truth in certain countries, despite the risks, is extremely bold and daring.
I feel it is too early to really say if my aims and ambitions have changed as it is only the start of the course. However, if I were to be asked that question in 3 years time, then maybe my answer will be different but for now my wish to be a broadcast journalist remains, as this is something that I have aspired to, for a long time. Something that has changed is that I have realised that if I do not reach my ultimate goal of being broadcast journalist then I would have no qualms about being or doing something else in the field of journalism. Therefore, I am content with the course and what is required of me and the reasons why I chose to do journalism have not changed.
